Nor should it be!
Admiral Hyman Rickover gave this plaque to President John F. Kennedy who kept it on his desk. It now resides in the JFK Presidential Museum and Library.
As presidents, owners or leaders of our own businesses, we likely often feel the oppression of overwhelm and uncertainty. Have you ever felt that way?
We selected a nautical theme for our business precisely because the sea, while wondrous and splendid, is also vast, unpredictable and overwhelming--an excellent metaphor for business.
I, for one, often feel overwhelmed and uncertain. To combat these moments, I turn to my Lodestar document.
We call the reasons business leaders chose to start out on their own endeavors their Lodestar. Returning to those reasons realigns one's purpose and allows them to check their priorities. Done right, a Lodestar invigorates and reignites.
I wish you fair winds and following seas. In the absence thereof, this injunction:
IN THE NAME OF THE BEST WITHIN YOU, DO NOT SACRIFICE YOUR SENSE OF LIFE TO AN ENEMY THAT WOULD CLAIM YOUR PRECIOUS MIND...DO NOT LET YOU FIRE GO OUT, SPARK BY IRREPLACEABLE SPARK. DO NOT LET THE HERO IN YOUR SOUL PERISH IN LONELY FRUSTRATION FOR THE LIFE YOU DESERVE, BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO REACH. ...THE WORLD YOU DESIRE CAN BE WON, IT EXISTS, IT IS REAL, IT IS POSSIBLE, IT IS YOURS. ~ JOHN GALT
As Jonathan Ware reminded me, "A smooth sea does not a sailor make."